In Reply to: Bali for 3 weeks? is it too long? posted by metter on Tuesday, 19. February 2008 at 16:02 Bali Time:
We were there in September '07. Domestic flights thru Merpati Air return - were quite cheap. Stayed in an Ocean View room at Holiday Resort in Senggigi. Absolutely beautiful rooms and views. Included breakfast. Organised a driver for a day to Kuta Beach. Visited the village of Pani Sari. Where you find the traditional Songket cloth handwoven with gold and silver thread on simple looms. (Suggest you bring notebooks and pens for children - the don't have alot). Then on to Rambitan which is the typical Sasak Villiage where the houses (Bale Balak) and rice storage buildings (alang/lumbung) are still constructed with cow dung, wood, bamboo and thatch. Followed by a stop at Kuta Beach/Tanjung Aan where you can have a lovely quiet lunch be the sea. Then a stop at Penujak which is one of the many pottery villages (that Lombok is famous for - we bought heaps) where clay pots for everyday use, simple in design and primitive in syle are produced. Lombok is famous for its diving at Gili Air, Gili Trawangan and Gili Genting. The corals and fish are spectacular! If you're keen - make the trek up Mt Rinjani (it's also visible from East coast of Bali) which is 3726m above sea level (they run tours all the time with qualified guides). If you're into Pearls, stop by 'Lombok Pearls Collection' Jl.A. Yani No.2 Selagalas, Cakranegara Mataram. They are the biggest retail/wholesaler of freshwater, saltwater and the South Sea black pearl. All comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and a guarantee of quality. I picked up a 2.7gr loose Bleack pearl and had it set on a 22ct gold pendant for $210 Aud. Whatever you decide to do with your extra week, be assured that it is definately not too long...